Opera-chair



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. G. DURANT.

OPERA GHAIR.

Patented July 1885.

WITNESSES WI/EH70? I WW Q7 did/U G??? (No Model.)

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.. E. G. DURANT.

OPERA CHAIR.

Patented July 28, 1885.

WIT/1158858 f llnrrnn rnrns ATENT Oriana.

EIMVARD G. DURANT, OF RAOINE, \VISCONSIN, ASSlGh-OR OF ONEHALF TO THOMAS KANE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OPERA-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,301, dated July 28, 1885.

Application filed September 8,1884. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD G. DURANT, of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain Improvements in Opera-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to that class of folding seats commonly denominator operachairs, in which the seat and back are piv- IO oted to swing in a vertical direction and connected with each other in such manner that the act of folding the seat upward will cause the back to assume avertical position to afford increased room for the ingress and egress of I 5 the audience.

The aim of the invention is to cheapen, simplify, and. reduce the size of the connections between the seat and back, and also to adapt the connecting devices for use upon standards located between. adjacent seats to support the edges of both.

Vith these ends in view the invention consists in the peculiar arrangement and construe tionot parts, hcrcinafterdescribedandclaimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a series of chairs constructed on my plan, the middle chair being shown in a folded position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of this portion of 0 the standard and the connecting-arms for giving support to the inner edge of the seat and back. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the parts represented in the foregoing figure, with retainingplatc removed, the parts being in po- 5 sition for use. Fig. 4. is a like view of the parts as they appear when the chair is folded.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line a: 00

of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line y 3 of Fig. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the middle part of one of the standards.

Referring to the drawings, A A represent rigid uprightstandards bolted or otherwise secured to the floor, and which may have any form or configuration desired, except as to the details of the active suriaccs,hereinafter explained. Each standard is provided on its side face with two horizontally-projecting trunnions, a and b, and with cavities or recesses 0, located adjacent to'the trunnions, as shown, to afford shoulders to interlock with the arms for supporting the seat and back. When the arms are designed, as usual, to give support to the adjoining seats, they are provided with trunnions and recesses on both sides, as shown in Fig. 5; but those standards which are to be 5 5 located at the end of the row, or to be used in connection with a single seat, may have one side left plain or without trunnions.

B B represent the back-supporting arms, the lower ends of which are provided with 6 sockets to receive the trunnions a, and with studs (1 to enter the recesses c in the standard. The studs serve, as usual in this class of furniture,to engage the shoulders of the standard and give support to the arms and the back of 6 the chair when in use. The upper ends of the back-arms are flanged, as shown, or otherwise adapted for attachment to the edge of the back.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the arms are curved inward away from the standard, or, in other words, toward the back, in order that the edge of the back may be supported at such distance from the standard as to admit of its swinging past the armrest or other projecting portion of the standard.

0 0 represent the seat-supporting arms, the rear ends of which are recessed to fit upon the trunnions I), and provided with studs (/1, to enter the corresponding recesses in the standard, so that when the seat is in use the sups porting-arms C will be sustained wholly by means of the trunnions and studs.

Each of the hack-arms is provided with an arm or ear, '0, extending downward below the pivot, and provided with a small hole near 8 its extremity. Each of the seat-arms is provided with a small hole in rear of the journal. The distance from this hole to the center of theseat-arm is much less than the distance from the hole in the back-arm to its center. 0 The two arms are connected by means of a link,

D, having lateral projections or journals at its ends. These journals are seated one in the hole in the seat-arm and the other in the hole in the back-arm,as plainly represented in Figs. 3 and 5 4. By means of this connection the swinging motion of either arm will cause alike motion to be imparted to its companion, whereby the two are caused to assume avertical or an open ative position simultaneously. Owing to the fact that the link is connected at a greater distance from the center of the back-arm than from the center of the seat-arm, the latter is permittedto swing through an are much greater than that of the back-arm, as is required in consequence of the fact that the back has but a slight inclination from the vertical when in use.

As a means of retaining the link in connec- IO tion with the arms and of retaining the arms in position upon the trunnions, as well as to apply a friction sufficicnt to prevent the seat from falling in a noisy manner, I employ a pressureplate, E, the outside ends of which bear upon the inner side of the two arms. This plate is secured in place by means of a central bolt, F, passed through it and through the standard between the arms, as shown in the drawings. In order to apply a yielding 2o pressure to the plate, I place around one end of the same an elastic metal disk, 19, which bears at its edges only in a cavity formed in the outer side of my pressure-plate E. The bolt being tightened by means of a nut on its 2 5 end subjects the plate to a strain or tension, causing it to force the plate against the arms with a yielding pressure.

\Vhen a single standard is employed between the two seats, it will be provided with 0 a seat-arm and a back-arm on each side, as shown in Fig. 5, and with a pressure-plate for each pair of arms. In such case the bolt F will be extended not only through the standard, but also outward through both pressure plates, as shown in Fig. 5.

I am aware that in a seat supported at the center by a single upright standard a back-arm and a seat-arm have been connected by alink arranged on the outer sides of the arms, as in 0 the patent to Bailey and Schade, No. 264,216, the construction being such as to prevent the use of a single standard to support two adjoining chairs.

I am also aware that a back pivoted mid- 5 way of its height has been connected at its lower end by a long link to a seat having its journals arranged to slide forward and backward in horizontal slots in astandard, as in the patent to Koeehling, No. 155,452, and to such construction I lay no claim.

It is to be observed that in my structure the arms and the link by which they are connected are arranged on the inner face of the supporting-standard between the standard and the side of the seat. This is a feature of special importance, in that it permits the use of the standard to support two seats, as before explained.

It is to be noted as another peculiarity of my construction that the connecting-link extends from a point on the back-arm below its pivot to a point on the seat-arm in rear of its pivot. This construction permits the use of a link shorter, if desired, than the distance between the pivots of the two arms, so thatit may be seated compactly and closely between the edges of the arms, as represented in the drawings. This is highly advantageous in that it permits the ends of the arms to be made of small size and the entire joint to be brought within a small compass, so that it maybe used on a very narrow standard. The result is a chair wl1ich,when folded, occupies verylittle space from front to rear, thus affording wide spaces or passages between thechairs of one row and those of the next, and permitting an increased number of chairs to be advantageously placed on a floor of given size.

In the particular arrangement of the link herein described my construction differs widely from the links represented in the Koechling patent, which are required to extend past and in advance of the pivot of the chairseat, and which, because of their necessarily great length, render indispensable the use of an exceedingly wide standard.

I do not claim herein the construction represented in the patents granted to Durant and Shupe, February 19, 1884, No. 293,724, or to Durant and Kane,March 27 1883, N0. 27 4t, 7 42, or either of them. The construction herein shown and claimed is advantageous in that there are in the connection between the arms no sliding joint-sand no surfaces requiring to be accurately fitted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In an opera-chair, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the standard, the back-arm and seat-arm connected thereto by fixed journals, and the connecting-link jointed to the back-arm at a point below its journals, and to the seatarm at a point in rear of its journals, substantially as described and shown, whereby the use of a short link is permitted and a compact joint is produced;

2. The combination, substantially as described and shown, of the standard having the fixed journals thereon atthe same or substantially the same height, the back arm mounted on one of said journals and extended below the same, the seat-arm mounted on the other journal, and the link pivoted at one end to the seat-arm in rear of its journal, and at the opposite end to the lower extremity of the back-arm, whereby the two arms are caused to move in unison and the employmentof a short link permitted.

3. The combination of the standard, the back-arm journaled thereon and extended below its journal, the seat-arm, also pivoted to the standard, and the connecting-link pivoted at one end to the seat-arm, and at the opposite end to the lower extremity of the backarm, as and for the purpose described.

4. In an opera-chair, the combination of a rigid standard, the back-arm and seat-arm journaled to said standard on the inner side or side next to the seat proper, and the link connecting said arms, and located also on the inner side of the standard, whereby the outer side of said standard is rendered available to support the arms of a second seat when required.

' 5. In combination with the standard provided with journals or trnnnions, the back and seat arms mounted upon said trunnions, the link D, having its ends connected by journals to the respective arms, the plate E, and means, substantially as described, for securing said plate against the link and arms, whereby the plate is caused to serve the double purpose of retaining the arms in position upon the trunnions and of maintaining the connection between the arms and the link.

6. The combination of the standard, the two arms pivoted on one side thereof, the plate bearing on the two arms and provided with a central concavity, the elastic disk seated in said cavity and bearing at the edge only, and the central bolt, applied as shown.

7. The combination of the standard having two pairs of j ournals formed on opposite sides EDWARD G. DURANT.

lVitnesses:

J. L. MoADoW, F. B. RIDELL. 

